Owner and Founder, M1 Sports Management Inc.
Mark Ernsting is the owner and founder of M1 Sports Management – an agency that oversees corporate marketing, event management, and athlete representation. After graduating from UBC’s School of Kinesiology, Mark received a cycling scholarship to attend a university in the United States where he completed his graduate degrees. During this time, he represented cycling teams in North America, Europe, and was part of the Canadian National Team. Mark competed for Canada at World Cups, World Championships, Pan-Am Games, and other International Road and Track events until his retirement from the sport in 2004. Upon graduation, Mark accepted a position as an Assistant Professor at West Virginia Wesleyen College in WV (USA) where he established and created a world-class scientific test facility. In 2007, Mark made the decision to leave academia, return to Canada, and begin his own sport management business. After the successful creation of M1 Sports Management, Mark also co-founded a sports sustainability business called EARTHsport. Recently Mark has received UCI certification as Canada’s first certified UCI Rider Agent allowing him to represent cyclists at the World Tour level.
Co-Founder and Director of Business Services, Debrand Services Inc.
Amelia Ufford is the Co-Founder and Director of Business Services for Debrand Services Inc. – a business involved in environmental services. Past experience has included work the Minnesota Wild (Intern), Vancouver Canucks Game Presentation (2002-2012), and as an Account Manager with Nike (2003-2007). In addition to this, she has: volunteered with Right to Play International in Sri Lanka as a Program Manager (2007-2008), co-founded Debrand Services in 2008, was a participant in the Minerva Leadership Program for Women/Girls (2010), is a member of Forum for Women Entrepreneurs, attended the Social Venture Institute (2011), was a nominee for EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2011, was a Finalist in Small Business BC Best Green Business (2011), and was a YWCA Women of Distinction Finalist (Entrepreneurship 2011).
Academic Counsellor and Coach, West Point Grey Academy
Raj Sush remains active in junior varsity and varsity coaching and an Academic Counsellor at West Point Grey Academy – a private, coeducational, university prepatory high school located on the West side of Vancouver. Hi educational background includes a Bachelor of Human Kinetics (1995), Bachelor Education (1997), Master of Arts in Organizational Management (2002), and he is currently undertaking his Master of Arts in Applied Legal Studies through the School of Criminology at SFU. He has experience teaching at Vancouver’s St. George’s School for boys where he specialized as Physical Education Teacher within the Athletics Department augmenting instructional experience with coaching experience in the sport of soccer. In 2000 he moved onto the BC Christian Academy – a private, coeducational parochial school – where he was the Head of Athletics, Head of University Counselling, and coached varsity soccer for the better part of ten years. In 2009 he was hired on as a faculty member of West Point Grey Academy in the University Counselling Office while remaining involved at the junior varsity and varsity level.
Medical Student, University of British Columbia
Co-Editor in Chief, UBC Medical Journal
Alvin Ip is a first year medical student at the University of British Columbia and Co-Editor in Chief of the UBC Medical Journal. In May 2012, he completed his Bachelor of Kinesiology degree and graduated as the Head of Class. During his undergraduate degree, Alvin designed and pilot-tested a novel rehabilitation strategy to improve walking symmetry in people with stroke. After winning the award for Best Oral Presentation at UBC’s Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research Conference, Alvin was selected to showcase his research at the Unversita21 Research Conference in Japan. In addition to pursuing academic excellence, Alvin is highly motivated to use his skills and passions to make a difference in the community. He founded two community programs, an after-school homework club for elementary school students and a specialized research class for people with disabilities. Alvin serves on the Board of Directors at Richmond Centre for Disability and volunteers as a choir member at The Salvation Army Rotary Hospice House.
Owner, Richmond Muscle & Tendon Injury Clinic
Nikolay Yelizarov is the owner of the Richmond Muscle & Tendon Injury Clinic. After getting his medical degree in 1980 Nikolay Yelizarov practiced medicine in Pervouralsk, Russia where he focused on Sports injuries at the prestigious Sports Rehabilitation in Astrakhan Russia. At that time he also received his massage practitioners certificate. Armed with a wealth of knowledge about sports and muscle related injuries he moved to Canada and went on to become a Registered Acupuncturist at CTCMA, BC and received his MSc – Human Kinetics at UBC. His professional affiliations are College of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture, Qualified Acupuncturist and Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners Association, Canadian Academy of Sport Medicine, Vocational rehabilitation Association. He is member of Richmond Chamber of Commerce. Using his training and his vast knowledge, he developed his unique and specialized treatment. Since 1993 N. Yelizarov has treated patients with every kind of muscle strain and related injuries. His procedure is fast, painless and effective. In 1998 N. Yelizarov opened the Muscle & Tendon Strain Injury Clinic in Richmond BC and moved to a new location at the centre of Richmond at 2010.
Senior Scientist, NASA Johnson Space Center, Exercise Physiology and Countermeasures Laboratory
Jessica Scott is currently Senior Scientist at the Exercise Physiology and Countermeasures Laboratory (NASA Johnson Space Center) in Houston, Texas. When she began her BSc in Kinesiology she was planning to become a physiotherapist; however, her experience in one directed studies class in her third year completed changed her career direction. She discovered a love for research and was eager to explore the underlying physiology of cardiac function during exercise. She received her BSc from the University of Alberta (2003), MSc from UBC (2005), and completed her PhD in Cardiovascular Physiology in 2009. After winning a scholarship to attend a summer session offered by the International Space University (ISU) and attending another summer working as a teaching assistant at ISU in Strasbourg, France, she became interested in the physiological consequences of spaceflight. After graduating, she completed her post-doctoral fellowship in the Exercise Physiology Laboratory at the NASA Johnson Space Center. Since November 2011, she has been a senior scientist at NASA working on understanding how to keep the hearts and muscles of astronauts healthy in space.
Occupational Therapist, Vancouver General Hospital, Inpatient Psychiatry: Brief Intervention Unit and Psychiatric Assessment Unit
Andria Santos is currently an Occupational Therapist working in Inpatient Psychiatry: Brief Intervention Unit and Psychiatric Assessment Unit at Vancouver General Hospital. She has total of seven years combined experience working in the health field (both public and private). In the past, Andria has worked in vocational rehabilitation – including physical rehab programs, brain injury, and chronic pain – as a Registered Kinesiologist. She is experienced in Functional Capacity Evaluations, working with insurance corporations (including WorkSafe BC and ICBC), and as an independent contractor as a Kinesiologist. After graduating in 2003 from Human Kinetics (Health and Fitness Program), Andria went on to work for a private company in vocational rehabilitation for four years. In that time, she worked in a variety of programs including: a work hardening program, chronic pain program, brain injury program, and medical assessment program. Afterwards, she decided to become an Occupational Therapist and began the Master’s program at University of Western Ontario in 2007. Returning to Vancouver in 2009, Andria began working for a private company in vocational rehabilitation. She stayed for six months until getting hired at VCH – VGH where she has worked in a variety of units: orthopedic, medicine, neuro, spinal cord injury, geriatrics, and currently inpatient mental health.
Owner, Occupational Therapist and Health and Fitness Consultant, OTfit Consulting
Leah currently runs her own practice – OTfit Consulting www.otfit.ca – where she is both an Occupational Therapist and Health and Fitness Consultant. She graduated in 2009 with a BHK (Health & Fitness) and 2005 with a BScOT. In 2009 Leah left Vancouver Coastal Health, where she was working as a community Occupational Therapist, to start her own practice (OTfit Consulting). She has a 4 year old and many other interests and passions outside of work. She considers having her own practice as allowing her the flexibility to take on the amount of work that’s right for her and her family.
Physical Therapist, Fit to Train Human Performance Systems
Mon Jef is a Certified Exercise Physiologist and Certified Acupuncture Foundation of Canada Institute working as a Physical Therapist with Fit to Train Human Performance Systems. He has past experience working with UBC Changing Aging Program and Canadian Sport Centre Pacific as a lab technician. A graduate of UBC’s School of Kinesiology, Mon Jef went on to obtain a Master’s degree researching recovery strategies from high intensity exercise. His interests include movement, health, and recovery and optimizing all of these.
MSc Student, University of British Columbia (Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology)
Return to Work Coordinator
Kinesiologist
Beth Bates is a currently a part-time student completing a Master’s of Science (Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology) and part-time Return to Work Coordinator working as a sub-contractor for companies that have contracts with WSBC. She has six years working in community, corporate, and private practice rehabilitation as a Kinesiologist.